The Legend Of The Destruction Of Mankind

The Legend of the Destruction of Mankind

From: http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/destrman.htm

[Here is the story of Ra,] the god who was self-begotten and self-created,
after he had assumed the sovereignty over men and women, and gods,
and things, the ONE god. Now men and women were speaking words of
complaint, saying: -

"Behold, his Majesty (Life, Strength, and Health to him!)
hath grown old, and his bones have become like (silver, and his
members have turned into gold and Ihis hair is like unto real lapis-lazuli."
His Majesty heard the words of complaint which men and women were
uttering, and his Majesty (Life, Strength, and Health to him!) said
unto those who were in his train: -

"Cry out, and bring to me my Eye, and Shu, and Tefnut, and
Seb, and Nut, and the father-gods, and the mother-gods who were
with me, even when I was in Nu side by side with my god Nu. Let
there be brought along with my Eye his ministers, and let them be
led to me hither secretly, so that men and women may not perceive
them [coming] hither, and may not therefore take to flight with
their hearts.

Come thou with them to the Great House, and let them declare their
plans (or, arrangements) fully, for I will go from Nu into the place
wherein I brought about my own existence, and let those gods be
brought unto me there." Now the gods were drawn up on each
side of Ra, and they bowed down before his Majesty until their heads
touched the ground, and the maker of men and women, the king of
those who have knowledge, spake his words in the presence of the
Father of the first-born gods. And the gods spake in the presence
of his Majesty, saying: - "Speak unto us, for we are listening
to them" (i.e., thy words).

Then RA spake unto Nu, saying: - "O thou first-born god from
whom I came into being, O ye gods of ancient time, my ancestors,
take ye heed to what men and women [are doing]; for behold, those
who were created by my Eye are uttering words of complaint against
me. Tell me what ye would do in the matter, and consider this thing
for me, and seek out [a plan] for me, for I will not slay them until
I have heard what ye shall say to me concerning it."

Then the Majesty of Nu, to son Ra, spake, saying: - "Thou
art the god who art greater than he who made thee, thou art the
sovereign of those who were created with thee, thy throne is set,
and the fear of thee is great ; let thine Eye go against those who
have uttered blasphemies against thee." And the Majesty of
Ra, said:-" Behold, they have betaken themselves to flight
into the mountain lands, for their hearts are afraid because of
the words which they have uttered."

Then the gods spake in the presence of his Majesty, saying: - "Let
thine Eye go forth and let it destroy for thee those who revile
thee with words of evil, for there is no eye whatsoever that can
go before it and resist thee and it when it journeyeth in the form
of Hathor." Thereupon this goddess went forth and slew the
men and the women who were on the mountain (or, desert land). And
the Majesty of this god said, "Come, come in peace, O Hathor,
for the work is accomplished."

Then this goddess said, "Thou hast made me to live, for when
I gained the mastery over men and women it was sweet to my heart;"
and the Majesty of Ra said, "I myself will be master over them
as [their] king, and I will destroy them." And it came to pass
that Sekhet of the offerings waded about in the night season in
their blood, beginning at Suten-henen.

Then the Majesty of Ra, spake [saying], "Cry out, and let
there come to me swift and speedy messengers who shall be able to
run like the wind . . . . ;" and straightway messengers of
this [kind were brought unto him. And the Majesty of this god spake
[saying], "Let these ((messengers go to Abu, and bring unto
me mandrakes in great numbers;" and [when] these mandrakes
were brought unto him the Majesty of this god gave them to Sekhet,
the goddess who dwelleth in Annu (Heliopolis) to crush.

And behold, when the maidservants were bruising the grain for [making]
beer, these mandrakes were placed in the vessels which were to hold
the beer, and some of the blood of the men and women [who had been
slain]. Now they made seven thousand vessels of beer. Now when the
Majesty of RE, the King of the South and North, had come with the
gods to look at the vessels of beer, and behold, the daylight had
appeared after the slaughter of men and women by the goddess in
their season as she sailed up the river, the Majesty of Ra said,
"It is good, it is good, nevertheless I must protect men and
women against her."

And Ra, said, "Let them take up the vases and carry them to
the place where the men and women were slaughtered by her."
Then the Majesty of the King of the South and North in the three-fold
beauty of the night caused to be poured out these vases of beer
which make [men] to lie down (or, sleep), and the meadows of the
Four Heavens were filled with beer (or, water) by reason of the
Souls of the Majesty of this god. And it came to pass that when
this goddess arrived at the dawn of day, she found these [Heavens]
flooded [with beer], and she was pleased thereat; and she drank
[of the beer and blood], and her heart rejoiced, and she became
drunk, and she gave no further attention to men and women.

Then said the Majesty of Ra to this goddess, " Come in peace,
come in peace, O Amit," and thereupon beautiful women came
into being in the city of Amit (or, Amem). And the Majesty of Ra
spake [concerning] this goddess, [saying], "Let there be made
for her vessels of the beer which produceth sleep at every holy
time and season of the year, and they shall be in number according
to the number of my hand-maidens;" and from that early time
until now men have been wont to make on the occasions of the festival
of Hathor vessels of the beer which make them to sleep in number
according to the number of the handmaidens of Ra.

And the Majesty of Ra spake unto this goddess, [saying], "I
am smitten with the pain of the fire of sickness; whence ccometh
to me [this] pain?" And the Majesty of Ra said, "I live,
but my heart hath become exceedingly weary with existence with them
(i.e., with men); I have slain [some of] them, but there is a remnant
of worthless ones, for the destruction which I wrought among them
was not as great as my power."

Then the gods who were in his following said unto him, "Be
not overcome by thy inactivity, for thy might is in proportion to
thy will." And the Majesty of this god said unto the Majesty
of Nu, "My members are weak for (or, as at) the first time;
I will not permit this to come upon me a second time."

And the Majesty of the god Nu said, "O son Shu, be thou the
Eye 'for thy father . . . . . and avenue (?) him, and 'thou goddess
Nut, place him . . . . . ... And the goddess Nut said, How can this
be then, "O my father Nu? "Hail," said Nut . . .
. . to the god Nu., and the goddess straightway became [a cow],
and she set the Majesty of Ra. upon [her] back . . . . .

And when these things had been done, men and women saw the god
Ra, upon the back [of the cow]. Then these men and women said, "Remain
with us, and we will overthrow thine enemies who speak words of
blasphemy [against thee.], and [destroy them]."

Then his Majesty [RE] set out for the Great House, and [the gods
who were in the train of Ra remained] with them (i.e., the men);
during that time the earth was in darkness. And when the earth became
light [again]j and the morning had dawned, the men came forth with
their bows and their [weapons], and they set their arms in motion
to shoot the enemies [of Ra].

Then said the Majesty of this god, "Your "transgressions
of violence are placed behind you, for the slaughtering of the enemies
is above the slaughter [of sacrifice];" thus came into being
the slaughter [of sacrifice]. And the Majesty of this god said unto
Nut, "I have placed myself upon my back in order to stretch
myself out." What then is the meaning of this? It meaneth that
he united (?) himself with Nut. [Thus came into being] . . . . .
.

Then said the Majesty of this god, "I am departing from them
(i.e., from men), and he must come after (me who would see me;"
thus came into being . . . . .

Then the Majesty of this god looked forth from its interior, saying,
"Gather together [men for me], and make ready for me an abode
for multitudes;" thus came into being . . . . . . . And his
Majesty (life, health, and strength be to him!) said, "Let
a great field (sekhet) be produced (hetep); "thereupon Sekhet-hetep
came into being. [And the god said], "I will gather herbs (aarat)
therein;" thereupon Sekhet-aaru came into being. [And the god
said], "I will make it to contain as dwellers things (khet)
like stars of all sorts;" thereupon the stars (akhekha) came
into being. Then the goddess Nut trembled because of the height.

And the Majesty of Ra said, "I decree that supports be to
bear [the goddess up];" thereupon the props of heaven (heh)
came into being. And the Majesty of Ra said, O my son Shu, I pray
thee to set thyself under [my] daughter Nut, and guard thou for
me the supports (heh) of the millions (heh) which are there, and
which live in darkness. Take thou the goddess upon thy head, and
act thou as nurse for her;" thereupon came into being [the
custom] of a son nursing a daughter, and [the custom] of a father
carrying a son upon his head.

II. THIS CHAPTER SHALL BE SAID OVER [A FIGURE OF] THE COW.-The
supporters [called] Heh-enti shall be by her shoulder. The supporters
[called] Heh-enti shall be at her side, and one cubit and four spans
of hers shall be in colours, and nine stars shall be on her belly,
and Set shall be by her two thighs and shall keep watch before her
two legs, and before her two legs shall be Shu, under her belly,
and he shall be made (i.e., painted) in green qenat colour. His
two arms shall be under the stars, and his name shall be made (i.e.,
written) in the middle of them, namely, Shu himself."

A boat with a rudder and a double shrine shall be therein, and
Aten (i.e., the Disk) shall be above it, and Ra shall be in it,
in front of Shu, near his hand, or, as another reading hath, behind
him, near his hand. And the udders of the Cow shall be made to be
between her legs, towards the left side.

And on the two flanks, towards the middle of the legs, shall be
done in writing [the words], "The exterior heaven," and
"I am what is in me," and "I will not permit them
to make her to turn." That which is [written] under the boat
which is in front shall read, "Thou shalt not be (motionless,
my son;" and the words which are written in an opposite direction
shall read, "Thy support is like life," and "The
word is as the word there," and "Thy son is with me,"
and "Life, strength, and health be to thy nostrils!"

And that which is behind Shu, near his shoulder, shall read, "They
keep ward," and that which is behind him, written close to
his feet in an opposite direction, shall read, "Maat,"
and "They come in," and "I protect daily." And
that which is under the shoulder of the divine figure which is under
the left leg, and is behind it shall read, "He who sealeth
all things."

That which is over his head, under the thighs of the Cow, and that
which is by her legs shall read, "Guardian of his exit."
That which is behind the two figures which are by her two legs,
that is to say, over their heads, shall read, "The Aged One
who is adored as he goeth forth," and The Aged One to whom
praise is given when he goeth in." That which is over the head
of the two figures, and is between the two thighs of the Cow, shall
read, " Listener," "Hearer," "Sceptre of
the Upper Heaven," and "Star " (?).

III. THEN THE MAJESTY OF THIS GOD SPAKE UNTO THOTH, [saying] "Let
a call go forth for me to the Majesty of the god Seb, saying, 'Come,
with the utmost speed, at once."' And when the Majesty of Seb
had come, the Majesty of this god said unto him,

"Let war be made against thy worms (or, serpents) which are
in thee; verily, they shall have fear of me as long as I have being;
but thou knowest their magical powers. Do thou go to the place where
my father Nu is, and say thou unto him, 'Keep ward over the worms
(or, serpents) which are in the earth and water.'

And moreover, thou shalt make a writing for each of the nests of
thy serpents which are there, saying, 'Keep ye guard [lest ye] cause
injury to anything.' They shall know that I am removing myself [from
them], but indeed I shall shine upon them. Since, however, they
indeed wish for a father, thou shalt be a father unto them in this
land for ever. Moreover, let good heed be taken to the men who have
my words of power, and to those whose mouths have knowledge of such
things; verily my own words of power are there, verily it shall
not happen that any shall participate with me in my protection,
by reason of the majesty which hath come into being before me.

I will decree them to thy son Osiris, and their children shall
be watched over, the hearts of their princes shall be obedient (or,
ready) by reason of the magical powers of those who act according
to their desire in all the earth through their words of power which
are in their bodies."

IV. AND THE MAJESTY OF THIS GOD SAID, "Call to me the god
Thoth," and one brought the god to him forthwith. And the Majesty
of this god said unto Thoth, "Let us depart to a distance from
heaven, from my place, because I would make light and the god of
light (KHU) in the Tuat and [in] the Land of Caves. Thou shalt write
down [the things which are] in it, and thou shalt punish those who
are in it, that is to say, the workers who have worked iniquity
(or, rebellion). Through thee I will keep away from the servants
whom this heart [of mine] loatheth.

Thou shalt be in my place (ast) ASTI, and thou shalt therefore
be called, O Thoth, the 'ASTI Of Ra.' Moreover, I give thee power
to send (hab) forth . . . . . ; thereupon shall come into being
the This (habi) bird of Thoth. I moreover give thee [power] to lift
up thine hand before the two Companies of the gods who are greater
than thou, and what thou doest shall be fairer than [the work of]
the god KHEN; therefore shall the divine bird tekni of Thoth come
into being.

Moreover, I give thee [Power] to embrace (anh) the two heavens
with thy beauties, and with thy rays of light; therefore shall come
into being the Moon-god (Aah) of Thoth. Moreover, I give thee [power]
to drive back (anan) the Ha-nebu; therefore shall come into being
the dog-headed Ape (anan) of Thoth, and he shall act as governor
for me. Moreover, thou art now in my place in the sight of all those
who see thee and who present offerings to thee, and every being
shall ascribe praise unto thee, O thou who art God."

V. WHOSOEVER SHALL RECITE the words of this composition over himself
shall anoint himself with olive oil and with thick unguent, and
he shall have propitiatory offerings on both his hands of incense,
and behind his two ears shall be pure natron, and sweet-smelling
salve shall be on his lips.

He shall be arrayed in a new double tunic, and his body shall be
purified with the water of the nile-flood, and he shall have upon
his feet a pair of sandals made of white [leather], and a figure
of the goddess Maat shall be drawn upon his tongue with green-coloured
ochre. Whensoever Thoth shall wish to recite this composition on
behalf of Ra, he must perform a sevenfold (?) purification for three
days, and priests and [ordinary] men shall do likewise. Whosoever
shall recite the above words shall perform the ceremonies which
are to be performed when this book is being read. And he shall make
his place of standing (?) in a circle (or, at an angle) . . . .
. which is beyond [him], and his two eyes shall be fixed upon himself,
all his members shall be [composed], and his steps shall not carry
him away [from the place]. Whosoever among men shall recite [these]
words shall be like Ra on the day of his birth; and his possessions
shall not become fewer, and his house shall never fall into decay,
but shall endure for a million eternities.

Then the Aged One himself (i.e., Ra) embraced (?) the god Nu, and
spake unto the gods who came forth in the east of the sky, "Ascribe
ye praise to the god, the Aged One, from whom I have come into being.
I am he who made the heavens, and I (set in order [the earth, and
created the gods, and] I I was with them for an exceedingly long
period; 'then was born the year and . . . . . . but my soul is older
than it (i.e., time). It is the Soul of Shu, it is the Soul of Khnemu
(?), it is the Soul of Heh, it is the Soul of Kek and Kerh (i.e.,
Night and Darkness), it is the Soul of Nu and of Ra, it is the Soul
of Osiris, the lord of Tettu, it is the Soul of the Sebak Crocodile-gods
and of the Crocodiles, it is the Soul of every god [who dwelleth]
in the divine Snakes, it is the Soul of kpep in Mount Bakhau (i.e.,
the Mount of Sunrise), and it is the Soul of Ra which pervadeth
the whole world."

Whosoever sayeth [these words] worketh his own protection by means
of the words of power, "I am the god Hekau (i.e., the divine
Word of power), and [I am] pure in my mouth, and [in] my belly;
[I am] Ra from whom the gods proceeded. I am Ra, the Light-god (Khu)."
When thou sayest [this], stop forth in the evening and in the morning
on thine own behalf if thou wouldst make to fall the enemies of
Ra. I am his Soul, and I am Heka.

Hail, thou lord of eternity, thou creator of everlastingness, who
bringest to nought the gods who came forth from Ra, thou lord of
thy god, thou prince who didst make what made thee, who art beloved
by the fathers of the gods, on whose head are the pure words of
power, who didst create the woman (erpit) that standeth on the south
side of thee, who didst create the goddess who hath her face on
her breast, and the serpent which standeth on his tail, with her
eye on his belly, and with his tail on the earth, to whom Thoth
giveth praises, and upon whom the heavens rest, and to whom Shu
stretcheth out his two hands, deliver thou me from those two great
gods who sit in the east of the sky, who act as wardens of heaven
and as wardens of earth, and who make firm the secret places, and
who are called "Aaiu-su," and "Per-f-er-maa-Nu."
Moreover [there shall be) a purifying on the . . . . . day of the
month . . . . . . .. even according to the performance of the ceremonies
in the oldest time.

Whosoever shall recite this Chapter shall have life in Neter-kher
(i.e., Underworld), and the fear of him shall be much greater than
it was formerly [upon earth] . . . . . . . and they shall say, "Thy
names (,are 'Eternity' and 'Everlastingness."' They are called,
they are called, "Au-peh-nef-n-aa-em-ta-uatipu," and "Rekh-kuh-[tut]-en-neter-pui
. . . . . . en-en-hra-f-Her-shefu." I am he who hath strengthened
the boat with the company of the gods, and his Shenit, and his Gods,
by means of words of power.